Trade Talk showcases the businesses in the midstate and the people who make them work. From companies who make iconic products to the small family businesses and everyone in between, we have a little bit of everything in the midstate. Midstate companies keep the economy moving, people working and communities thriving throughout the midstate. Businesses can e-mail submissions for business awards to bizawards@pennlive.com.

Doug Berman was recognized as Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by Leadership York. Berman is managing partner of Reinsel Kuntz Lesher's York office and leads the company's Not-for-Profit Industry Group. He is a graduate of the Leadership Training Program class of 2002.

Phoenix Contact in Middletown received a 2014 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence for the SunPlug project, a solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection selected 19 projects that promote environmental stewardship and economic development.

The Circular at The Hotel Hershey was recognized with the Achievement of Excellence Award at the 2014 American Culinary Federation (ACF) Northeast Regional Conference. The Circular at The Hotel Hershey is one of eight operations to receive the award during ACF's Northeast Regional Conference. The award recognizes food service establishments that exemplify a commitment to excellence.

Caeser's Pizza, Wings & Subs was named the April 2014 Mayor's Merchant of the Month. Caeser's Pizza, Wings & Subs is located at 1125 Roosevelt Ave., York.

WGAL 8 was the recipient of a Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters "Excellence in Broadcasting" award at the organization's statewide convention in Hershey. WGAL won a first place award for "Outstanding Television Promotion Announcement/ Campaign." The award was presented for WGAL 8's series of promos titled "WGAL News 8 Today." The spots advertise WGAL News 8's weekday morning newscasts and feature WGAL News 8 anchors Lori Burkholder and Jere Gish in individual promos. Assistant Promotion Manager Liz Montijo produced the series; The February 2014 ratings book from the Nielsen Survey shows WGAL's "News 8 Today at 6AM," "News 8 at Noon," "News 8 at 6PM" and "News 8 at 11" broadcasts all maintained the distinction of having the largest share of audience for local newscasts in their time period in the Top 50 Markets of the United States; WGAL's "News 8 Today at 6AM" delivered a 38.7 Household Share in the February 2014 Nielsen Survey and WGAL's, "News 8 at Noon" had a 30.2 share, "News at 6PM" had a 33 share and the "News at 11" had a 32.9 share. This "share" number represents a percentage of television sets in use which are tuned to a specific station.

Donegal Group Inc. of Marietta was named to a list of "America's 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies," ranking the company among firms that have consistently demonstrated transparent and conservative accounting practices and solid corporate governance and management as determined by GMI Ratings.

The Radio and Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) has announced its 2014 Edward R. Murrow Award recipients. Abc27 News Senior Photojournalist Eric Heisler was a 2014 Edward R. Murrow Award recipient and won in the "Use of Sound/Video" category in The Radio and Television Digital News Association's Region 11. Heisler's winning entry included several stories he shot and edited in 2013 including a profile of a Harrisburg city police officer handing out flowers on Valentine's Day; an emotional reunion between a father and his baby twins after his 9 month deployment overseas; a blood drive held by a high school assistant principal in the name of his seven-year-old daughter who suffers from a mysterious blood disorder and a profile of the fight to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania told through the eyes of a local family that is on the front line of the issue.

The Association for Bridge Construction and Design's Susquehanna Chapter chose Rettew's Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge restoration project for its Outstanding Context Sensitive Solution Bridge Design Award. Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge is among the oldest of 20 Lancaster County-owned covered wooden bridges and was originally built in 1885. In September of 2011 floodwaters from Tropical Storm Lee ripped the historic treasure from its foundation and into Chiques Creek, causing extensive damage to the original structure. The team, which also included Bulldog Construction Co. Inc. and Lancaster County Timber Frames Inc. completed the rebuild in less than two years.

Lee Sholly

Lee W. Sholly of Jonestown Bank & Trust was inducted into the 50-Year Club of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association. Sholly, retired from the bank's board of directors. Sholly began his career in 1964 as an auditor at the Lebanon County Trust Company.

Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc. in Harrisburg was named one of the top 500 design firms in the United States by Engineering News-Record magazine. The firm has held this distinction for over a decade.

Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine announced the following: The Penn State Hershey Cystic Fibrosis Center was presented with the Outstanding Partner Award by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; Penn State Hershey was named one of the 30 Most Nurse-Friendly Hospitals in the United States by TopRNtoBSN.com; Jamie Ober, a nurse and research study coordinator in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, was named Nurse of the Year in Central Penn Parent's Healthcare Heroes Awards; Greg Baiocchi, a Four Diamonds social worker at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital was named Social Worker of the Year by Make-A-Wish Philadelphia and Susquehanna Valley; Mary Lou Osevala, a nurse practitioner in the heart failure program of Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute, received the Heart Failure Award from the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association and Rachel Yadrnak, a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse at Penn State Hershey, was recognized by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority.

KBW, a Stifel company and an investment bank and broker-dealer that specializes in the financial services sector, named ACNB Corporation to its 2013 KBW Bank Honor Roll. This Bank Honor Roll features the top 31 U.S. banking institutions based upon superior performance.

Presbyterian Senior Living in Dillsburg was recognized with three Distinguished Service Awards from LeadingAge PA. The senior care organization was recognized for innovation and outstanding volunteer service, and Presbyterian Senior Living's chief operating officer was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Presbyterian Senior Living Chief Operating Officer Jim Bernardo received the Paul Haas Lifetime Achievement Award. Bernardo has been at the center of quality improvement at Presbyterian Senior Living since he began his tenure in 1985. A partnership between Presbyterian Senior Living's Presbyterian Apartments and PinnacleHealth was recognized as a model of innovation and excellence and for its contributions to the quality of life for the individuals served. The Care Navigation Program has been in operation since 2012 and is a collaboration between a housing provider and the health system.

Jonestown Bank & Trust Co. earned the 94th spot in the 2014 list of Top 200 Community Banks and Thrifts, as ranked nationally by American Banker magazine. This is JBT's fifth consecutive year of ranking in the top 100, and sixth year in the top 200. JBT is also ranked 18 among the top 20 Pennsylvania community banks listed, and is the only community bank in Lebanon, Lancaster and Dauphin Counties to be within that group.

Harrisburg design professional Barbara Tabak was named Second Runner-up Decorator of the Year by Decorating Den Interiors, a interior design and home furnishings franchise company. Tabak's design and furnishings of a newly built veranda won first place in the outdoor category of the company's 30th annual international Dream Room Competition and was selected as the third best room overall. Tabak launched Decorating Den Interiors in the Greater Harrisburg area in 1998.

Handyman Services of New Cumberland was selected as a winner of the 2014 Best of HomeAdvisor Award. The Best of HomeAdvisor Award recognizes top industry professionals based on exceptional quality, service and value. The program awards top rated service professionals in the HomeAdvisor network.

Jack Gaughen Realtor ERA was ranked as a top company in both sales volume and transaction sides among Harrisburg/York/Lancaster residential real estate companies in 2013 By RealTrends500 Report. NRT LLC, the parent company of Jack Gaughen Realtor ERA, was ranked as the number one residential real estate brokerage firm in the United States based on sales volume and transaction sides for the 17th consecutive year.

Michael De Stefano

Michael F. De Stefano of Elizabethtown received the Volunteer Service Award from the South Central Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. De Stefano is the chief financial officer specializing in corporate accounting for Petroleum Products Corp. in Middletown.

Brett Wesson

Brett Wesson of Wohlsen Construction Company in Lancaster won the Gold Medal at the National Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Championship. Wesson took the top honor in the Carpentry division. In order to qualify for the National competition Wesson had to place first at the local level through the Keystone Chapter of ABC. Wohlsen's craft professionals have won the National Gold Medal three times in the last four years. Wesson also received the new National Craft Competition Safety Award at the competition. This award is given to one competitor in the Carpentry Division.

Holy Spirit Hospital was honored with an "A" grade in the latest update to the Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections. The Hospital Safety Score is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc. announced that Quality Digital Office Technology of York and Camp Hill was honored with a 2014 Pro-Tech Service Award, which recognizes those Konica Minolta dealerships that demonstrate the highest commitment to customer support and satisfaction.

Gareth Pahowka

School Law Attorney Gareth D. Pahowka of Mechanicsburg and an attorney at Stock and Leader LLP in York was named the 2014 Big Brother of the Year of Pennsylvania by the Big Brothers Big Sisters State Association. Recognized for his constant presence at match activities and fundraising events, Pahowka has served as a volunteer mentor for the past six years. Pahowka is a former teacher and is a member of Stock and Leader's School Law Group.

The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) has presented awards to members for outstanding leadership in the legal profession and extraordinary service and longstanding membership in the association including: Magisterial District Judge Kathryn H. Silcox, Mechanicsburg: PBA President's Award - for outstanding commitment and leadership to the PBA Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee; Bridget E. Montgomery, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC, Harrisburg: Special Achievement Award - for her dedicated service as co-chair of the PBA Task Force on the Code of Judicial Conduct; Jane E. Meyer, Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, Harrisburg: Special Achievement Award - for writing and editing the annual PBA High School Mock Trial Competition case; Samuel W. Milkes, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Harrisburg: Special Achievement Award - for dedicated service as co-chair of the Pennsylvania Access to Justice Coalition to ensure improved access to civil legal representation; James H. Rowland Jr., Law Offices of James J. Rowland Jr., Harrisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award; William R. Davis Jr., Glen & Glen, Chambersburg: Fifty-Year Member Award; R. Hart Beaver, Richland: Fifty-Year Member Award; Philip H. Feather, Feather & Feather PC, Annville: Fifty-Year Member Award; C. Walter Whitmoyer Jr., C. Walter Whitmoyer Jr. Law Offices, Lebanon: Fifty-Year Member Award; William F. Hoffmeyer, Hoffmeyer & Semmelman LLP, York: PBA President's Award - for outstanding commitment and leadership to the PBA Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee; Louis F. Del Duca of Carlisle, professor emeritus at the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, was awarded the Bar Medal, the highest honor conferred by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is the tenth person to receive the award in the 119-year history of the association.

Coldwell Banker Select Professionals announced that its Camp Hill sales office was recognized as the number one affiliate office in Pennsylvania for the full year of 2013. The office, which houses approximately sixty real estate agents, was named the Number One Office in Closed Adjusted Gross Commission Income in Pennsylvania for independently owned and operated affiliated companies in the Coldwell Banker system in 2013. In addition, the Camp Hill office achieved "Premier Office" status within the Coldwell Banker Network for the second consecutive year, based on average agent sales performance.

Mid Penn Bancorp Inc., parent company of Mid Penn Bank in Millersburg was featured on American Banker magazine's "Top 200 Community Bank" list for 2013.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate recently honored a number of Realtors within its international sales network of approximately 85,000 agents for their outstanding sales performances. Matthew Greene joined the International President's Premier, representing the top one percent of all sales associates worldwide. Eric Hoffer joined the International President's Elite, representing the top three of all sales associates worldwide. Steve Bickford joined the International President's Circle, representing the top six percent of all sales associates worldwide. Kimberly Leggett, Carie Senic and Lee Smith of the Smith Top Team, and Nancy Schappell joined the International Diamond Society, representing the top 11 percent of all sales associates worldwide. Christine Book-Storm and John Taylor joined the International Sterling Society, representing the top 16 percent of all sales associates worldwide. The Jennifer Hollister Group was recognized as an International President's Elite Team, representing the top eight percent of all sales teams in North America. The team consists of Jennifer Hollister, Jennifer Kuntz, Russell Dugan and Allison Rapsey. The Elizabeth Knouse Team was recognized as an International President's Circle Team, representing the top 18 percent of all sales teams in North America. The team consists of Elizabeth Knouse-Foote and Jim Priar Jr. The Neil Barr Team, The Campbell Burke Team, The Chriss Team and The Freundel Team were recognized as International Sterling Society Teams, representing the top 38 percent of all sales teams in North America. The Neil Barr Team consists of Neil Barr and Terry Barr. The Campbell Burke Team consists of Loretta Campbell and Lisa Burke. The Chriss Team consists of Clarence Chriss and Peggy Chris. The Freundel Team consists of Bill Freundel and Louise Freundel.Melissa Anderson of the Harrisburg sales office joined the International President's Circle, representing the top six percent of all sales associates worldwide. Andrea Keiper of the Hershey sales office and Audrey Wentling of the Lebanon sales office joined the International Diamond Society, representing the top 11 percent of all sales associates worldwide. Team Jernigan of the Lebanon sales office was recognized as an International President's Elite Team, representing the top eight percent of all sales teams in North America. The team consists of John Jernigan, Carol Jernigan, Jocelyn Petrozziello and Samuel Breidenstine. The Bedorf-Prince Team of the Harrisburg sales office was recognized as an International President's Circle Team, representing the top 18 percent of all sales teams in North America. The team consists of Jim Bedorf, Justin Prince, Alex Prince and Dylan Gallucci. Team Shope of the Lebanon sales office and The Tricia Como Team of the Hershey sales office were recognized as International Diamond Society Teams, representing the top 27 percent of all sales teams in North America. Josh Shope is the team leader of Team Shope and Tricia Como leads the Tricia Como Team.

Gannett Fleming in Cumberland County earned a spot on Electrical Construction & Maintenance magazine's 2014 Top 40 Electrical Design Firms list. The magazine ranked Gannett Fleming number 13, a jump of seven spots compared to the firm's rank of number 20 in 2013. The list compares firms based on revenue specifically related to electrical design work in 2013.

Gavin Advertising in York has won the Gold 2014 Summit Creative Award in the category of Consumer Direct Marketing for its Mini Envy campaign on behalf of Mini of Baltimore. The awards recognize prestigious work from small and medium-sized creative firms throughout the world. Gavin designed the campaign for Mini of Baltimore to increase test drives and sales through social media and word-of-mouth marketing. The campaign, executed in September 2013, centered on Mini of Baltimore surprising four contest winners at their homes or offices with a VIP test drive. Gavin selected winners from those who entered on Mini of Baltimore's Facebook app or website.

David Downey

Allstate agency owner David Downey has worked with New Hope Ministries on several occasions including helping to clean their various facilities, including the grocery area and commercial kitchen. For his ongoing commitment, Downey received the Allstate Agency Hands in the Community Award, which awarded him a $1000 grant from The Allstate Foundation for New Hope Ministries of Pennsylvania.

Bob Marquette

Bob Marquette, president/CEO of Members 1st Federal Credit Union in Mechanicsburg was chosen as CEO of the Year by the National Association of Federal Credit Unions. Marquette has been involved with the credit unions since 1973, spanning a 41-year career with 28 of those years with Members 1st Federal Credit Union.

Ben Warntz

WGAL 8 awarded Senior Account Executive Ben Warntz of York with the 2014 Eagle Award. The station's Eagle Award is designed to recognize outstanding performance by a salesperson during the past year. Warntz was named senior account executive in January, 2013. Warntz returned to WGAL in May 2012 as an account executive. He had previously worked at WGAL from 2000-2008 in sales and as an account executive at WPMT in York from 2008-2012. Warntz started his advertising sales career working for Comcast. He works in WGAL's Harrisburg office.

LeRoy J. Jones Jr. (Lee Jones), a financial advisor in Waddell & Reed's Mechanicsburg office was named to Waddell & Reed's 2014 President's Council, one of its highest honors for the firm's financial advisors. Comprising only 12 of the approximately 1,800 Waddell & Reed financial advisors nationwide, the President's Council is named annually based on an analysis of investment, insurance, and financial planning sales generated by the advisor. This is the 10th time that Jones has earned this honor. As a member of the council, Jones will meet periodically with firm management and other advisors, discussing ongoing goals, management issues, products, and client service issues. He joined Waddell & Reed in 1987.

For the second consecutive year, Dawood Engineering Inc. in Enola achieved the ranking on the Engineering News Record Top 500 Design Firm list. Dawood ranked 456th on the list, which is up 39 spots from the previous year.

WHTM abc27 News received eleven awards for excellence by The Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcasters for best newscast, continuing coverage, spot news, news documentary, public affairs, weathercast, enterprise reporting, news photography, best sportscast and sports play-by-play. In the "Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast" category abc27 News Live at 5 was recognized. The winning entry included the 5pm newscast from September 12, 2013. WHTM will be recognized for the "Spot News" category for coverage October's record flooding. Extensive reporting on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg was recognized in the "Continuing Coverage" category. Dave Marcheskie's reporting on overtime issues in the Harrisburg Fire Department won for "Enterprise/Individual Reporting", while photojournalist Deryk Thompson was recognized for "News Photography". The abc27 weather team received four wins for best weathercast, documentary and public affairs programming. An episode of "Beyond the Forecast" on severe weather awareness won in the "News Documentary" category and an episode on Tropical Cyclones won in the "Public Affairs" category. Meteorologists Eric Finkenbinder and Brett Thackara each won for best Weathercast. WHTM also received recognition for its local sports coverage. Gregg Mace was nominated for "Best Sportscast", and Friday Night Football was up for "Best Sports Play-by-Play".

Kevin J. McKeon was recognized by The Pennsylvania Bar Association Administrative Law Section with the James S. Bowman Award. McKeon is a partner in the law firm of Hawke McKeon & Sniscak LLP in Harrisburg. The James S. Bowman Award honors a lawyer who is making a significant impact on the practice of administrative law and who is demonstrating leadership in mentoring administrative law practitioners. Herbert R. Nurick was recognized by The Pennsylvania Bar Association Public Utility Law Section with its Christianson Award. The award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the development, improvement and advancement of the profession of public utility law. Nurick became the first mediation coordinator for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in 1996. From 1967 to 1996, Nurick was an associate and then partner in the Harrisburg law firm of McNees, Wallace & Nurick.

Conrad "Connie" Siegel founder of Conrad Siegel Actuaries was honored by The Foundation for Enhancing Communities as the recipient of the Champion of Philanthropy Award. Coldwell Banker Select Professionals was included for the third consecutive year to the RISMedia 2014 Power Broker Report, a list of influential Real Estate brokerages throughout the United States. RISMedia's Annual Power Broker Report ranks firms by closed transactions and sales volume for 2013. The Top 500 rankings appeared in the April 2014 issue of Real Estate magazine.

Ken Stecher

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association announced the following: Kipp Stecher, retired president/CEO of AmeriChoice Federal Credit Union of Enola, received the William W. Pratt Award for Outstanding Professional of the Year; The 2014 Credit Union Youth Ambassador of Pennsylvania

View full sizePictured left to right are Steven Dill; PCUA Board Chair Maria LaVelle; Lauren Hoffman; PCUA President and CEO Patrick Conway and Devan DeShong.

was won by Lauren Hoffman of Mechanicsburg who is a marketing specialist at AmeriChoice Federal Credit Union in Mechanicsburg. The Second Alternate for the 2014 Credit Union Youth Ambassador of Pennsylvania was won by Devan DeShong of Dallastown. DeShong is a Network Administrator at Frist Capital Federal Credit Union, York; Belco Community Credit Union, Harrisburg was recognized with honorable mention for the Dora Maxwell Awards for Social Responsibility Award which signifies a commitment to volunteering time, energy, and resources to boost the living standards of others. In the Credit Union Annual Report Contest, awards were given in three asset groups: Heritage Valley Federal Credit Union, York received a first place award; In the Credit Union Website Contest, ClearChoice Federal Credit Union, Wyomissing received a first place award and Heritage Valley Federal Credit Union, York received an honorable mention award.

Red Lion Controls was honored for its consistent commitment to the sustainable development of China's automation industry by Automation Panorama magazine. Red Lion was recently named a Top Ten New Outstanding Enterprise within China¹s Automation Industry for 2013. Red Lion was also selected as a Top New Cutting-Edge Company by China¹s leading automation portal gongkong.com for its technology leadership and innovative contributions. Red Lion's N-Tron series NT24k managed Gigabit Ethernet switches received a Golden Mousetrap award in the U.S. for Industrial Networking Technologies in the Automation and Control category.

Paul Barr of Barley Snyder

Salvatore Anastasi

Barley Snyder in York was recognized by Leadership York for its ongoing commitment to the community by presenting them with the 2014 Outstanding Business of the Year award. Barley Snyder has been serving the York community for over 50 years.

Jeremy Frey

Joseph Falcon

JPL in Swatara Twp. was named to an exclusive group of global training leaders on the TrainingIndustry.com Content Development Companies Watch List for the third consecutive year.

The Courtyard by Marriott Harrisburg West/Mechanicsburg in Mechanicsburg was honored by TripAdvisor who presented the 2014 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence to the Courtyard Mechanicsburg for maintaining an average rating of four or higher out of a possible five, based on TripAdvisor traveler reviews.

Alex Snyder

Bravo Group in Harrisburg received a coveted 2014 Bronze Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America for superior performance in the design and execution of an individual tactic within a broader public relations program.

The Penn State University, Dickinson School of Law, Children's Advocacy Clinic, Carlisle, were recognized by Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters which has announced the recipients of the 2013 Super Lawyers Pro Bono Awards. The awards recognize legal professionals, students, firms and organizations that exemplify excellence in the practice of law by offering volunteer legal services to the poor, disadvantaged or the exploited.